Electric base plate



I y 21, 19407 w. L. PRENDERGAST 2,201,919

' ELECTRIC BASE XLATE Filed June 2, 1938 3 m jkndergasi Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved electric base plate for floors or walls of buildings adapted to form a socket for connection of electric devices.

ihe primary object of this invention is to provide an electric base plate forming a part of an electric socket having means whereby the prongs or blades of a plug will be guided into position for insertion into the socket.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plate having means whereby one of the prongs or blades of a plug may be guided and adjusted angularly to align both of the prongs with the base plate openings for insertion therein.

A particular advantage of the invention resides in the fact that electric plugs may be readily inserted in the sockets formed by the base plate when it is impossible to see the openings in the plate due to the means whereby one of the prongs will be guided and aligned to position both of the prongs for ready insertion into a pair of the openings of said plate.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing which illustrates a preferred form of the invention, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a plate made in accordance with the invention,

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on the lines 2-2 and 33, respectively, of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, on a reduced scale, showing a plug in two positions being guided toward a pair of the openings preliminary to being inserted therein.

Referring more particularly to the drawing wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the diiferent views, I 0 designates generally the base plate comprising the invention and which is adapted to be suitably secured to a wall, floor, molding or other suitable place where electric sockets are required.

Plate It], as seen in Figure 1, is provided with two pairs of spaced openings II which are likewise spaced from each other a predetermined distance to receive the prongs or blades I2 of an electric plug l3. Communicating with each of the openings H and. extending outwardly there from, are the corresponding grooves [4 which diverge outwardly and terminate at the opposite longitudinal edges I 5 of the plate ID. Grooves 14 increase in depth toward their converging ends, as best seen in Figures 3 and 4. Grooves l4 and openings I I combine to form the arcuately shaped thickened portions it between the grooves, and the restricted thickened portions I! which connect portions it and which extend between the pairs of openings H.

Plate ill is adapted to be positioned to cover a plurality of electrical outlets, not shown, with each pair of openings ll positioned to communicate with a pair of the contacts of one of said outlets and to combine therewith to form an electric socket adapted to receive the prongs l2 of an electric plug l3 to complete a circuit thereby to a fixture to which said plug is attached. Obviously, plate In may be of any desired length required to cover any number of electric outlets and will be provided with a pair of openings H for each of said outlets as well as the grooves Hi to communicate with each of the openings H. Likewise, the space between said pairs of openings II will vary depending upon the space between the outlets, and the shape and position. of the openings may vary depending upon the shape and position of the outlets and of the plugs l3 and their blades [2. Many of the electric plugs now in use are provided with blades which are disposed lengthwise to each other rather than crosswise, as shown, and to accommodate plugs of this type openings ll could be arranged endwise relatively to each other and in such case the converging ends of the grooves I4 would be more restricted to correspond in size to the sides rather than to the ends of the openings II, or if desired, openings ll could be formed in crosswise relationship thereby adapting them to receive either type of blade l2.

The operation or function of the base plate I0, is as follows: assuming that the plate I0 is secured to a vertically disposed baseboard, not shown, and it is desired to insert one of the plugs I 3 into one pair of the openings II, the plug is moved toward the plate ID with its prongs or blades l2 disposed diagonally to the plane of the plate, as seen in Figure 4, so that the blade l2, nearest the plate ID will first come in contact therewith. As one of the blades l2 contacts the plate adjacent one of its edges l5, it will in all probability contact one of the grooves l4, since the grooves at this point are of substantially greater width than the converging ends of the thickened portions it, after which by permitting the prong to move inwardly it will be guided until it engages a restricted portion l1 which forms a stop and which hasa tendency to cause the blade I2 to turn until it is aligned with one of the openings l l to thereby align its mate so that the two blades may be readily inserted in the openings H. The side walls or shoulders of grooves l4 formed by the thickened portions 16 will in every instance guide the blades to the openings H, and should the prong first come in contact with one of the portions 16 a movement relatively thereto will readily indicate that a groove I4 has not been contacted since the shoulders for guiding the blade will not be felt by the person holding the plug and the inward movement of the plug will not be experienced. Under such circumstances, the plug 53 need only be moved lengthwise of the plate to quickly engage one of the grooves l4 after which by allowing the blade contacting the groove to move inwardly it will be guided to its opening ll. Should the blade l2 which first contacts a groove I4 be inclined downwardly and instead of contacting one of the upper grooves I4, contacts a lower groove, the outward movement of the plug toward the thickened lower end of the groove would indicate that it was moving away from the openings H, so that the operator would be apprised of the fact that the plug should be moved upwardly and transversely of the plate to contact one of the upper grooves.

Various modifications and changes, in addition to those heretofore mentioned, may obviously be made and are contemplated and the right is reserved to make such variations and changes in the construction and arrangement of the invention as will not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In an electric base plate, a plate having a plurality of longitudinally disposed pairs of trans versely arranged openings, each pair of openings being arranged. in spaced relationship to the adjacent pairs, said plate being adapted to cover a plurality of outlets with the openings in each of the pairs communicating with the contacts of one of said outlets to form a plurality of electric sockets, said plate being provided with a plurality of grooves disposed transversely thereof and extending inwardly from its longitudinal edges, the sides of said grooves converging inwardly with each of the grooves communicating with one of the openings at its converging end, said grooves increasing in depth toward their converging ends, said grooves forming oval shaped thickened portions disposed transversely of the plate and between said pairs of openings, said thickened portions converging toward the opposite longitudinal edges of the plate, and restricted thickened portions extending between the openings of each of said pairs and connecting with the oval shaped thickened portions to form abutments at the adjacent sides of the openings of each of said pairs.

WILLIAM L. PRENDERGAST. 

